Organisers of the 32nd Sheffield DocFest (18-23 June) announced May 7 their full film programme of films and public talks. The Industry programme will be announced on 14 May.
“As the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects,. DocFest champions and presents the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – made possible with the huge support of partners, funders and sponsors, including Principal Funders BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, Sheffield City Council and Arts Council England,” the festival writes.
As previously announced, the world premiere of Kim Hopkins’Still Pushing Pineapples will open Sheffield DocFest 2025 offering audiences “a melancholic yet heartfelt look into the story of Dene Michael, the former singer of Black Lace and pop band behind the novelty Brit party favourite ‘Agadoo’.” The film follows the lead singer’s journey on the road with his aging mother and his partner, as he aims for a comeback – see previous announcement here.
Mimi Poskitt, Sheffield DocFest Managing Director says: “At Sheffield DocFest, we believe in the power of storytelling to inspire change and create an alternate future. And this is what DocFest 2025’s programme is all about: coming together to learn and be inspired to take action. In planning this year’s edition, we reflected deeply on where we can make a real difference — how, in an environment where filmmakers are facing ever greater challenges, our festival can be a place where documentaries thrive.”
Film Programme
The Sheffield DocFest 2025 film programme totals 116 films (82 features and 34 shorts), drawn from over 2753 entries, including 51 World Premieres, 16 International Premieres, 8 European Premieres, 39 UK Premieres from 68 countries of production.
Titles screen in three competition sections – International Competition, International First Feature Competition and International Short Film Competition. In addition to the previously announced Guests of Honour Programme, the festival once again presents its Podcast Stories strand and previews of television series episodes in its First Impressions strand. Further out of competition films screen in six strand sections: Rhythms, Debates, People & Community, Memories, Rebellions and Journeys.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the DocFest MeetMarket, with eight films in the programme having participated in prior MeetMarkets. Drawn from a record number of 610 submissions, the 49 projects in the 2025 selection include new works from renowned directors such as Mila Turajlic, Carola Fuentes, Kathryn Ferguson and Lindsey Dryden, alongside emerging and young talents. This year’s slate includes 17 promising works produced or co-produced in the UK – see previous announcement here.
Raul Niño Zambrano, Sheffield DocFest Creative Director, says: “This year, we’ve brought together some of the most powerful shorts, documentary features, series, podcasts, talks, and immersive works from across the globe to transform the city of Sheffield into a truly unique space where perspectives meet, just as our tagline proudly proclaims. Our 2025 programme delves into urgent, creative, and cutting-edge stories — from activism and climate justice, to queer perspectives and powerful journeys through archival treasures. There’s something for everyone. Join us in Sheffield and let the programme spark conversation, ignite inspiration, and open up new ways of seeing the world.”
Films in Competition & Awards
The line-up for this year’s International Competition (Academy-Award accredited) comprises eight films, all up for the Grand Jury Award for the International Competition; eight films in International First Feature Competition supported by Netflix; and nine films in International Short Film Competition. Six documentaries will be considered for the Tim Hetherington Award; six films will be considered by the Youth Jury, and the International Virtual Reality Competition will honour the best virtual reality non-fiction work. Winners will be revealed during an awards ceremony at Crucible Playhouse on Sunday 22 June.
International Competition (Academy Award accredited)
- Cuba & Alaska by Yegor Troyanovsky – Ukraine, France, Belgium, 2025 (World Premiere). Two female medics in Ukraine’s army, whose lives are captured via phone and body-cam footage, navigate the chaos of war with bravery, humour and friendship.
- Factory (Gong Chang) – Hao Zhou – Macau, 2025 (World Premiere). Acclaimed director Hao Zhou journeys into one of China’s vast factories around the time of the pandemic to detail the impact of global supply chains and coercive business practices on workers’ lives.
- The Gas Station Attendant by Karla Murthy – USA, 2025 (World Premiere). A daughter reflects on her South Asian father’s life, his never-ending pursuit of the American dream, and the human capacity to love and survive.
- North South Man Woman by Morten Traavik, Sun Kim – Norway, Latvia, South Korea, 2025 (World Premiere). North Korean women meet South Korean men in a fascinating and often surprising look at love, business and geopolitics.
- Shards of Light by Mila Teshaieva, Marcus Lenz – Germany, Ukraine, 2025 (World Premiere). War has ravaged the Ukrainian city of Bucha, whose residents have endured unimaginable hostility and suffering. If hope remains a faint glimmer, the will to survive still shines through in this powerful and unflinching film.
- Still Pushing Pineapples by Kim Hopkins – United Kingdom, 2025 (World Premiere). A melancholic yet heartfelt story of the former singer of pop band Black Lace and his journey on the road with his aging mother and his partner, as he aims for a comeback.
- Welded Together by Anastasya Mirashnichenko, Anastasiya Zinovieva – France, Netherlands, Belgium, 2025 (World Premiere). A young welder confronts her fractured past to protect her sister, forging a future from sacrifice, resilience and the spark of second chances.
- YANUNI by Richard Ladkani – Austria, Brazil, USA, Canada, Germany, 2025 (International Premiere). In this love story and urgent call to action, an Indigenous couple risk everything to defend the Amazon and their unborn child’s future.
International First Feature Competition (supported by Netflix)
- Blue Has No Borders by Jessi Gutch – United Kingdom, 2025 (World Premiere). A young filmmaker is determined to know her neighbours in the port town of Folkestone. But in the aftermath of Brexit, building new relationships isn’t easy.
- The Broken R (Rotacismo) by Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren – Ecuador, Italy, 2025 (World Premiere). This intimate journey about self-acceptance follows Ricardo, a 24-year-old man born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, who has struggled to pronounce the letter R since birth.
- Carmela and the Walkers (Carmela y los Caminantes) by Luis Herrera, Esteban Coloma – Ecuador, 2025 (World Premiere). As the world appears increasingly intolerant of ‘outsiders’, an Ecuadorian woman welcoming Venezuelan migrants into her home is a moving reminder of our capacity for warmth and humanity.
- Comparsa by Vickie Curtis, Doug Anderson – Guatemala, USA, 2025 (World Premiere). In a Guatemalan town, two fiery sisters channel their grief and anger into a local street performance to protest against gender-based violence in the country.
- December (Grudzień) by Grzegorz Paprzycki – Poland, Lithuania, Qatar, 2025 (World Premiere). Amid December’s festive glow, refugees remain hidden in forests along the Poland-Belarus border. This powerful documentary gives voice to their silent cries.
- A Little Gray Wolf Will Come (Dolazi mali sivi vuk) by Zhanna Agalakova – Croatia, Netherlands, France, 2025 (World Premiere). On the eve of the war in Ukraine, a Russian journalist from pro-Kremlin TV channel brings her rebellious and Westernized teenage daughter on a journey through Putin’s Russia.
- Lullaby For The Mountains (Օրոր Լեռների Համար) by Hayk Matevosyan – Armenia, USA, 2025 (World Premiere). In this hypnotic odyssey, the ancient monasteries of Armenia’s highlands bear traces of epochs past. Landscapes give way to soundscapes, and the shadowy depths within.
- Redlight to Limelight by Bipuljit Basu – India, Finland, Latvia, 2025 (World Premiere). A high-spirited group of Indian sex workers and their families begin making short films to transform their own lives and inspire others.
Alternate Realities Programme
The Alternate Realities exhibition programme “showcases innovative non-fiction and immersive documentaries in all forms, breaking the boundaries of traditional documentary practice and using cutting edge technology – including virtual reality, use of artificial intelligence, video gaming platforms, augmented reality, and interactive web documentaries,” organisers write.
The powerful new installation Collateral Echoes, by Baff Akoto, “commemorates the potential, personalities and memories of Black and immigrant Britons disproportionately killed after police contact since 1969,” the festival writes. The work combines XR, moving image and immersive sound design to present first person testimonies, archival imagery and performance. Including spoken prose from Paapa Essiedu and poetry by the late, great Benjamin Zephania, “the exhibition memorialises those killed – and gives voice to the communities who survive them – in this exploration of nostalgia, loss, grievance and joy.”
In the VR Cinema, Sheffield DocFest brings an international programme of immersive works to Site Gallery for the festival. Selected works include:
- DOLLHOUSE for Queer Imaginaries [Queer.Space, Electric South | South Africa 2024]. DOLLHOUSE for Queer Imaginaries reimagines home as a playful, shared VR space where queer communities reshape belonging through creativity, care, and collective imagination.
- Speechless Witness of a Wandering Tree [Aphra Taghizadeh, Kyoto Arts Center | Iran, Netherlands 2024]. A haunting VR journey into state violence in Iran, told through the eyes and memories of a protester deliberately blinded during a demonstration.
- Impulse: Playing with Reality [Anagram | UK & France 2024]. Narrated by Tilda Swinton, Impulse plunges you into the chaotic brilliance of ADHD—where intensity, creativity, and survival collide in a transformative mixed reality experience.
- Walking Alone, Text You When I’m Home [Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf | Germany | 2024]. A visceral 360° journey into the everyday reality of sexual harassment, told through personal stories and hauntingly abstract visuals.
- Space for Action [Big Anxiety Research Centre UNSW | Australia 2024]. An immersive journey into the hidden reality of domestic abuse, Space for Action gives voice to survivors and the silent systems that failed them.
Strands
The Rhythms strand will focus on music documentaries and performances. Debates features films on wide-ranging important topics which need to be discussed. People & Community includes stories that celebrates togetherness through family, friendship and communities. Journeys includes transformations and explorations. Memories explores how the past informs the present, and Rebellions focuses on stories of people striving for social change and fighting for what matters.
Talks
Sheffield DocFest Talks will include a BBC Interview with Professor Brian Cox, a Channel 4 Masterclass with Oobah Butler, and an event entitled David Blaine x Nat Geo: Bringing the Magic to Factual, and a conversation between award-winning documentary producers Norma Percy & Lucy and journalist/presenter Nina Hossain
